Editorial: It takes more than talk to give offenders a second chance

Published 7:15 pm, Thursday, May 26, 2016

The numbers Gov. Dannel P. Malloy sends out each day with a running dollar amount of how much it is costing to keep people charged with nonviolent misdemeanors behind bars are attention-getters — unless you are a member of the General Assembly.

Less than two weeks after lawmakers completed another special session to erase a $922 million deficit in the 2017 budget, the centerpiece legislation of Malloy’s second term has been downshifted to a lower gear and it is costing the state tens of thousands of dollars every day.

Malloy has touted his Second Chance 2.0 since he rolled out the initiative earlier this year as a companion to his Second Chance Society, which seeks to give nonviolent offenders the chance and the tools to reintegrate themselves into society.

The 2.0 proposal would allow 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds to have their cases heard in the juvenile justice system, as opposed to adult court. The age groups would be phased in over a three-year period. If approved by the legislature, the jurisdiction of juvenile court would increase from age 17 to 18 on July 1, 2017; to 19 in 2018; and 20 in 2019. It also makes changes to the bail bond system by prohibiting a judge from setting a money bail for anyone charged with a misdemeanor, with a few exceptions.

Malloy has crisscrossed the state trying to drum up support, touting the initiative and its social and financial benefits.

But not everyone is onboard.

Republicans — and some Democrats — who supported the initial law are nixing Malloy’s attempt to expand it and the General Assembly has twice failed to bring it up for a vote.

Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, told ctnewsjunkie.com there are no votes in his caucus for the measure, calling the legislation “too broad” and that it, as proposed, “goes too far.”

House Majority Leader Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, said he thinks “there still needs to be a lot of discussion on that bill to ensure we have the votes to pass it.”

Let’s take a look at the numbers.

Last year, approximately 110,000 people were arrested in Connecticut. According to Michael Lawlor, the governor’s undersecretary for criminal justice policy, about 10,000 ended up sitting in jail for a day or longer because they were not able to post bail. As of Thursday, the governor’s office calculates that 422 people are behind bars where the most serious charge against them would be a misdemeanor and an additional 641 arrestees could also end up being charged with a misdemeanor. Lawlor estimates if lawmakers had passed Second Chance 2.0 proposal on May 16, the state would be saving the $56,952 per day it is spending on low-risk inmates and would have saved approximately $639,576 so far.

Those are numbers worthy of consideration.

Connecticut lawmakers must make up their minds. Either we will be a second chance society or we won’t.

Young people make mistakes. Legislators owe them a second chance to get back on the right path.